Rotary engine



(No Mod'el.)

E. P. REICHHELM. ROTARY ENGINE.

No. 549,255. Patentedtlvov. 5,1895.

AN DREW E GRAHAMv PHOTO-LUHUWASNINGI'ONADL UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.'

EDIVARD P. REICHHELM, OF BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY.

ROTARYy ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 549,255, dated November 5, 1895. Application filed Iebruar'yllZ, 1894. Serial No. 499,880. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern: f

Be it known that LEDWARD P. REICHHELM, a citizen of the United States,`residing at Bay` onne, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented an Improvement in Rotary Engines, of which the following is a specification.

In Letters Patent granted to me August 8, 1893, No. 502, 90, a blower is represented in which there are rings within recesses in the heads of the blowercase, which rings are grooved for the reception of slide-blocks that serve to project and retract the fans as the central cylinder or body of the blower is rotated.

In my present invention I make use of a case somewhat similar to that in the aforesaid patent and grooved for the reception of the guide-rings; but instead of using sliding pistons I make use of swinging pistons hinged at one end to the arms of the central drum, which hinged pistons when swung inwardly close into a cylindrical form, thereby making the central drum substantially solid, and when swung outwardly by the action of the guide-rings the outer edges or corners of the segmental pistons travel in the arc of a circle,- or nearly so, and in contact with the interior surface of the arc-shaped portion of the case, and these segmental pistons as they are closed in between the arms of the body force out and exclude the atmosphere or fluid in addition to the atmosphere or fluid that is carried around from the inlet to the delivery side of the engine.

In the drawings, Figure l is an elevation with the case in section. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section of the engine at the line me, Fig. l.

The case of the engine is to be of any desired size and shape, and the inlet pipe or opening A is at one side of the case and the outlet or eduction pipe B is-at the other side of the case, and the portion C of the case is an arc of a circle and the interior surface of this should be turned or finished; but the other portions of the case except the fiat inner surfaces of the heads D and E may be the ordinary surfaces of the cast metal.

The main shaft F is supported in suitable bearings outside of the heads D and E, and when the engine is used as ablower such shaft is rotated by suitable power applied through a pulley or otherwise, and when the engine is used as a motor the power is taken from this main shaft F.

IVithin the case and permanently fastened to the main shaft F is the body G, which is preferably formed with four arms,and to these arms the pistons H are connected at one edge by the hinges I, and the inner surfaces of the pistons H are similar in shape to the exterior surfaces of the arms upon the body G, so that the pistons can be closed in tightly between the respective arms and the exterior surfaces 2 can be turned off cylindrical, and the ends of the piston and the ends of the body G are turned or ground off true,so as preferably to be fiat to sit against the fiat interior surfaces of the headsl) and E and be sufficiently tight, whether the pistons are closely adjacent to the arms of the body or whether they are swung out, so that the outer corners of the surfaces 2 are adjacent to or in contact with the interior surface of the arc O of the case.

In order to move the pistons in and out as `the body revolves, I make use of the guiderings K within circular recesses in the heads vD and E, and such guide rings are grooved concentrically for the reception of the ringsegments L, each of which has a hole through it for the reception of the end of the pistonmoving pins O, which pins O preferably pass entirely through the respective pistons and are sufficiently long to project beyond the ends of the pistons and into the'ring-segments L within the guide-rings, and by boring these holes of uniform size the piston-pins simply require to be cut off of the proper length, and when the parts are put together the pistonpins and the ringnsegments are retained in place within the grooved guide-rings, and such guide-rings revolve around with the body of the engine and the ring-segments within the grooves of the guide-rings resist the centrifugal action of the pistons and draw the pistons into position as such pistons pass by the abutment P; and it will be observed that the parts are nearly balanced and that the revolution of the body and the pistons is effected without undue strain or Wear upon any part, and the whole engine can be constructed with but little manual labor and it is cheap to make and easily kept in repair.

IOO

The grooved guide-rings and the ring-segments can be lubricated by oil introduced in the same manner as in my aforesaid patent, and I remark that in cases Where the guiderings are dispensed with the grooves in the heads D and E alone maybe employed, the ring-segments being in such grooves, but they will, of course, be exposed to greater Wear and friction than they are when the guide-rings revolve with the ring-segments and the pressure resulting from the centrifugal action is balanced, or nearly so.

Then this engine is made use of as a blower, the atmosphere is drawn in at one side and forced out at the other. Vhen it is made use of as a liquid-meter, the liquid passes in at one `side and by its pressure rotates the pistons and the central body, and the measurement is effected by the space occupied by the liquid in passing from the inlet to the outlet pipes or chambers, and when this engine is used With steam or a iiuid under pressure the rotary movement is effected. by suoli pressure acting' upon the segmental pistons and giving motion to them and to the body with which they are hinged.

I claim as my inventionl. The combination with the main shaft, of a body having arms, pistons hinged to the arms, the exterior surfaces of Which are cylindrical segments, a case with heads having eircular grooves, ring segments in said circular i grooves, and pins projecting from the pistons and engaging said ring segments, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with the main shaft, of a body having arms, pistons hinged to the arms, the exterior surfaces of Which are cylindrical segments, a case With heads having circular grooves, pins projecting from the pistons, grooved guide rings Within the circular grooves of the heads, and ring segments in the grooves of the guide rings and receiving the pins that project from the pistons, substantially as set forth.

A oase having heads, inlet and discharge openings for the iluid,aportion of the case bctiveen the inlet and discharge openings being a segment of a cylinder, in combination with a main shaft passin gthrou gh the heads, a body having arms and upon the shaft and Within the case, pistons hinged to the outer ends of the arms and formed upon theirexterior surfaces as segments of a cylinder, pins passing through the pistons, an d ring segments at the ends of the pins, the heads beingI grooved circularly for the ring segments, substantially as set forth.

Signed by me this 3d day of l `ebruary,l80l.

EDWARD I. REICHHELM.

Nitnessesr GEO. T. PINCKNEY, A. M. OLIVER. 

